IBM has been working hard to provide Ansible content for IBM Z. We have been regularly making updates to our collections, recently announcing updates to the z/OS Core and IMS collections. From provisioning middleware on z/OS, to application deployment or CI/CD enhancements, there are so many use-cases where Ansible can play a huge role. Not only can Ansible help accelerate business processes through automation, it can also assist in the mainframe journey to hybrid cloud, and normalizing skill across organizations. Ansible can perform automation across multiple environments and architectures simultaneously, allowing Ansible to manage Z as it would any other node. Ansible is also easy to use and understand, as it leverages a simple YAML syntax to complete complex tasks. This enables new users to come onto the Z platform and work with Ansible to start interacting and automating z/OS quickly.
Have you wanted to get hands on experiences with this technology to identify how the simple yet powerful Ansible automation platform can enhance your automation capabilities? I am happy to announce that you can now try out the Ansible Automation platform via Z Trials! The Z Trial will allow you to get hands on experience with automating z/OS tasks with Ansible in a modern editing environment. You will also get to see the powers of the z/OS specific collections IBM is producing to make automating on z/OS easier.
Register for the Ansible Z Trial here. You will then get a confirmation email that you have registered, followed by an email with the Z Trial access information. You will be able to access the Z Trial by running it within Chrome or Firefox, or via a Remote Desktop Connection. Instructions are provided in the access email for both.
What to expect in the Z Trial
As you go through the Ansible Z Trial, you will participate in a guided experience where you are provided multiple use-cases to automate with Ansible. In the virual desktop environment, you will work in VSCodium, a clone of Microsoft's popular Visual Studio Code(VSCode) editor, which is one of the best editing environments for developing Ansible Playbooks. Learn more about how to use VSCode to work with Ansible in the upcoming blogs on the
IBM Developer site. There are playbooks that have been pre-written for you to explore and understand. Currently these playbooks cover three use-cases:
- Use VSCodium and Ansible to run a Ping Playbook on z/OS.
The purpose of this playbook is to have the user familiarize themselves with the lab environment that they will be working with and to determine that the environment passes the basic connectivity test.
- Installing a tool onto USS via an Ansible Playbook.
The purpose of this playbook is to demonstrate how Ansible can intuitively drive automation for z/OS USS (Unix) by putting the unzip tool on z/OS and installing in USS.
- Create PDS, Copy JCL, Submit and Query Job via an Ansible Playbook.
The purpose of this playbook is to demonstrate how Ansible, with the z/OS Core modules that IBM is developing, can drive automation for the mainframe. This not only makes it easier to automate on z/OS, but also allows the automation to be written in simple YAML format.
The Ansible Z Trial will also get additions and enhancements over time. The next scenario the team is looking to provide includes "Managing and executing playbooks using AWX". AWX is the open source graphical user interface management platform for Ansible playbooks, similar to what Ansible Tower provides. This adds an additional layer of management to our Ansible playbooks, extending what Ansible can do even further.
Give the Ansible Z Trial a try today, and experience the powers of the Red Hat enterprise ready automation platform!
Related Links:
Ansible support for IBM Open Enterprise Python Job Submission on z/OS Made Easy with AnsibleRunning Batch Jobs on z/OS using AnsibleRed Hat Ansible Certified Content for IBM Z Content Solution IBM Ansible Galaxy Collections